On July 9, 1988, Thornburgh, then Director of Institute of Politics at Harvard University, received a call from the Reagan White House. Edwin Meese, Attorney General of the U.S., had resigned. Thornburgh states in his book: "My law enforcement, political and management record, as well as my good relations with the president and vice president, did seem to make me one of the logical candidates [for Attorney General], but I was hardly expecting Culvahouse's call" (
Evidence, p. 201). After several meetings in Washington, with members of the President's staff, Thornburgh met with President Reagan on July 12, who formally requested that Thornburgh serve as his attorney general. This announcement was accompanied generally by very favorable commentary such as that in the
New York Times: "Mr. Thornburgh, who made his reputation fighting public corruption, brings an ethical dimension that has rarely been in greater demand." At that time, President Reagan had but five months remaining in his presidency, however, after the election, on November 19, President-elect Bush wasted no time in asking Thornburgh to stay on.

On October 7, 1988, Thornburgh first addressed the entire department staff, to spell out his priorities which he described as: "a vigorous assault on drug trafficking, a continued focus on organized and white-collar crime and stepped-up activity in the civil rights, antitrust and environmental fields" (see online video). The savings and loan scandal was about to break and was the most pressing challenge in the area of white-collar crime, or what Thornburgh frequently described as "crime in the suites." Ultimately DOJ task forces obtained nearly six hundred convictions, a ninety-three percent conviction rate, over the three years Thornburgh served, with seventy-seven percent of those convicted receiving jail terms.

Other major white-collar scandals and topics which attracted a lot of attention include: Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) money laundering scandal, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL), the Institute for Law and Social Research (INSLAW) case, Iran-Contra (involving issues concerning the independent counsel statute), and the inquiry into Operation Ill Wind.

In tackling the drug problem, Thornburgh frequently startled his listeners by stating: "If you want to lose the war on drugs, just leave it to law enforcement." As many of his speeches continue: the war against drugs "will not be won in the courtroom ... but in the classroom ... in our churches, homes and communities ... on the field of values." The "Report to the President" on drug trafficking, dated August 3, 1989, is available here online and presents a complete and accurate picture of drug trafficking within the United States and a "roadmap" for enforcement.

Many of Thornburgh's antidrug activities also involved a stepped-up international offensive. Thornburgh traveled to Vienna to sign the United Nations Drug Convention on behalf of the United States, in December 1989, and attended a number of TREVI (Terrorism, Radicalism, Extremism, Violence International) meetings, which are the law enforcement counterpart to the European Economic Community. The war on drugs also extended to South and Central America and the efforts of Thornburgh and DOJ are well represented in these files, as well as the apprehension of Noriega. "The drug war is an unappetizing battle, first, last and always ... Nevertheless our drug enforcement effort was generally well received, especially in its international aspects" (
Evidence, p. 238).

AG Thornburgh argued two cases before the Supreme Court, the second of which, Payne v. Tennessee, concerned victim's rights, a subject of long standing concern. Other topics well presented in these files are, for example: Project Triggerlock (regarding violent career criminals), the terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103, the bombing and death of Judge Robert Vance, Operation Weed and Seed, and Superfund hazardous waste cleanup actions. The Exxon Valdez case resulted in a guilty plea, and fines and restitution which were "by far the largest amount ever paid as a result of environmental violations" (
Evidence, p. 250).

While Thornburgh was Attorney General there generally was a huge increase in activity in the international arena, which in late 1990 resulted in the establishment of a new DOJ Office of International Affairs, at Thornburgh's urging. In September 1990, Thornburgh traveled to Seoul, South Korea, for the first-ever gathering of twenty-four Asian and Pacific Rim attorneys general, and the insights gained and contacts made during international trips were "of considerable value in establishing and implementing DOJ's international agenda" (
Evidence, p. 257).

"Beginning in late 1989, [Thornburgh] became active in efforts to promote the rule of law in other nations. One extraordinary opportunity in this regard arose in the Soviet Union, which was in the throes of transformation. Premier Mikhail S. Gorbachev had undertaken to depart from the totalitarian past through glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). To help him create a 'law-based state,' the Soviet Ministry of Justice [and Justice Minister Veniamin F. Yakovlev] invited us to visit Moscow to discuss democracy, the rule of law and human rights ... marking the first visit ever by a sitting attorney general of the United States to the Soviet Union" (
Evidence, p. 257). The Cold War was soon to end and of all those Thornburgh had met Yakovlev was the principal survivor. It is with him that a cordial relationship has extended into Thornburgh's ongoing career, with meetings both in Russia and in the United States, jointly promoting the rule of law.

After years of commitment by both Dick and Ginny Thornburgh to extending the rights and opportunities of persons with disabilities, Attorney General Thornburgh was presented with a truly unique opportunity in the work to enact the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Thornburgh was proud to serve as the Bush administration's "point man" for this effort and the ADA was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Thornburgh states: "The day was a high point of my tenure as attorney general, and I will never forget the celebration of what columnist David Broder called 'arguably the most significant civil rights and social policy legislation to become law in more than a decade'." In signing the bill, President Bush presented signing pens to all on the stage, "but Harold Wilkie told him to give his pen (which he had accepted with his right foot) to Ginny Thornburgh in token of her vigorous efforts in support of the bill" (
Evidence, p. 262). Both Dick and Ginny Thornburgh continue to be repeatedly recognized and celebrated for their commitment to persons with disabilities on into their ongoing careers, represented in this collection.

Other matters on the domestic front that are also well represented in these files include Thornburgh's participation in the Council on Competitiveness (CC), the Domestic Policy Council (DPC), Economic Policy Council (EPC), judicial appointment issues, and the so-called Thornburgh Memorandum.

On April 4, 1991, the news came of Pennsylvania Senator John Heinz's tragic death in a plane crash. A special election was to be held in the fall, to fill the vacancy. Governor Casey appointed his Labor and Industry Secretary, Harris Wofford, to serve in the interim. The Republicans, keen to hold onto the seat, encouraged Thornburgh to run for the office. And so it was that on June 4 Thornburgh told President Bush and his cabinet that he intended to resign and seek the Republican nomination for the position. Meanwhile a "bombshell" descended, in the form of a legal challenge by Jack Trinsey, regarding the procedures for filling the vacancy. Therefore, it was not until August 6 that the case was resolved and the election in November was a certainty. Thornburgh left office, precisely three years after he began as Attorney General, less than three months from election day.

When addressing the assembled attorneys and staff for the last time as Attorney General of the United States, on August 15, 1991, Thornburgh proudly set forth their record of accomplishments and "I noted what a privilege it had been to spend a substantial part of my professional career, under five presidents, in the Department of Justice and called for God's blessing upon the Department, the men and women who make it work and all in this world who strive to achieve that which is good, right and just. With that I said, I was off to a 'first-ever Thornburgh family reunion [and] to my beloved Pennsylvania and an exciting campaign for the U.S. Senate.' I could not have imagined a more satisfying farewell from my colleagues" (Evidence draft, p. 839-40).

All 195 speeches delivered by Attorney General Thornburgh have been digitized and are available here online. These speeches cover virtually every major topic encountered during Thornburgh's three years at the Department of Justice, 1988-1991. The detail and issue background included makes them a very valuable source for researchers. In many cases, the collection also contains drafts and interesting "as delivered" copies.

Box 739

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1

Remarks of Dick Thornburgh Attorney General of the United States Following His Taking the Oath of Office, Washington, DC August 12, 1988

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2

"Federalism and Law Enforcement," Second Annual Lawyers' Convention of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, Washington, DC September 9, 1988

Folder

3

"Reinvigorating Government," Carnegie Mellon University School of Urban and Public Affairs (SUPA), Pittsburgh, PA September 29, 1988

Folder

4

Philadelphia Bar Association, Washington, DC September 30, 1988

Folder

5

Department of Justice Employees, Washington, DC October 7, 1988

Folder

6

United States Attorneys' Conference, Charleston, SC October 8, 1988

Folder

7

International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Portland, OR October 17, 1988

Conference of Attorneys General of Asia and the Pacific Region, Seoul, South Korea September 4, 1990

Folder

4

Dinner in Honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Sherman Act and of Pepper, Hamilton and Scheetz, Washington, DC September 10, 1990

Folder

5

Judicial Conference of the United States, Washington, DC September 12, 1990

Folder

6

"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): What it Means to All Americans," Emily Rose Peeke Lecture, N. Neal Pike Institute for the Handicapped, Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA September 14, 1990

"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): What it Means to All Americans," Temple University School of Law Conference on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Philadelphia, PA September 24, 1990

Folder

9

"A 'Brandeis Brief' on 'Other People's Money': the 'Living Law' in the 1990s," University of Louisville School of Law Inaugural Louis D. Brandeis Lecture, Louisville, KY October 2, 1990

Folder

10

"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): What it Means to All Americans," Business Week Annual Symposium of Chief Executive Officers on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Washington, DC October 12, 1990

Folder

11

Proceedings in the Supreme Court of the United States in Memory of Justice Goldberg, Washington, DC October 15, 1990

"Prosecutors and the Press in the Search for 'the Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth'," Associated Press Managing Editors Association, Dallas, TX October 31, 1990

Folder

19

"The United Nations Drug Enforcement Convention," Third Committee 45th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, NY November 2, 1990

Folder

20

"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Full Citizenship for Persons with Mental Retardation," Fortieth Anniversary Convention of the Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States, Tampa, FL November 8, 1990

Folder

21

"Values: Our First Line of Defense," Hillsborough County Bar Association, Tampa, FL November 8, 1990

Folder

22

"Kids and Crime," National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges at the Annual Midby-Byron Distinguished Leadership Awards Dinner, University of NE, Reno, NE November 9, 1990

Box 746

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1

Annual Memorial Service for F.B.I. Special Agents, Washington, DC November 14, 1990

"An Anti-crime Coalition for America's Communities," Opening Assembly of the Attorney General's Summit on Law Enforcement Responses to Violent Crime: Public Safety in the Nineties, Washington, DC March 4, 1991

Folder

16

Attorney General's Summit on Law Enforcement Responses to Violent Crime: Public Safety in the Nineties, Washington, DC March 5, 1991

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17

House Appropriations Subcommittee, Washington, DC March 7, 1991

Folder

18

"Values and Law in a New World Order," 54th Annual Supreme Court Day Banquet of Drake University School of Law, Des Moines, IA March 9, 1991

Folder

19

Opening Session of the Judicial Conference of the United States, Washington, DC March 12, 1991

Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies, U.S. Senate, concerning Department of Justice Appropriations, Washington, DC March 14, 1991

" 'Fast-tracking' the Rule of Law: Our Most Valuable Export," Dean's Weekend Symposium on Challenges to Democracy at Home and Abroad at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA May 17, 1991

Folder

13

"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Overcoming Barriers in the Workplace," Annual Meeting of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Dallas, TX May 22, 1991

National Conference on Improving the Quality of Criminal History Records, Washington, DC June 20, 1991

Folder

22

"The President's Crime Bill: Making the Case for Victims of Violent Crime," Annual Conference of the National District Attorneys Association, Tucson, AZ July 15, 1991

Folder

23

House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, Washington, DC July 25, 1991

Folder

24

"Final Regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): a New Beginning," First Anniversary of the Signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Washington, DC July 26, 1991

Folder

25

Attorney General of the United States as His Farewell Ceremony, Washington, DC (and handwritten draft) August 15, 1991

Subseries 2.News Releases

Scope and Content Notes:

The Thornburgh archive includes paper copies of news releases from the entire Department of Justice during Thornburgh's three years as Attorney General. However, only those news releases published by the Office of the Attorney General and some fewer from departments within the Department of Justice (DOJ) issuing news related to the actions and decisions of Attorney General Thornburgh are available for online use, 425 total. Some of the departmental releases are from, for example: Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Civil Division, Criminal Division, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Office of Justice Programs. The White House, itself, also issued some relevant news releases that also are included online.

These news releases provide a wide variety of detailed and interesting information regarding white-collar crime, war on drugs, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), rule of law, savings and loan scandal, organized crime, the arrest of Manuel Noriega, the indictments of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, and statistics regarding grants to states for the war on drugs. These news releases also contain statements, addresses, and remarks by Thornburgh before Congress, conferences, or councils, some which are not included in the formal speech files online.

The date range of the releases is July 1988-August 1991. The releases are filed chronologically by month, and in a few cases half-month. When searching the releases it is advisable to use the abbreviations list for the DOJ departments that is available here.

Box 748

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1

July, 1988

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2

August 1-31, 1988

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3

September 1-15, 1988

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4

September 16-30, 1988

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5

October 1-15, 1988

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6

October 16-31, 1988

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7

November 1-15, 1988

Folder

8

November 16-31, 1988

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9

December 1-15, 1988

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10

December 16-31, 1988

Folder

11

January 1-15, 1989

Folder

12

January 16-31, 1989

Folder

13

February 1-15, 1989

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14

February 16-28, 1989

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15

March 1-15, 1989

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16

March 16-31, 1989

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17

April 1-15, 1989

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18

April 16-30, 1989

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19

May 1-15, 1989

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20

May 16-31, 1989

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21

June 1-15, 1989

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22

June 16-30, 1989

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23

July 1-15, 1989

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24

July 16-30, 1989

Folder

25

August 1-15, 1989

Folder

26

August 16-31, 1989

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27

September 1-15, 1989

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28

September 16-30, 1989

Folder

29

October 1-15, 1989

Folder

30

October 16-31, 1989

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31

November 1-15, 1989

Folder

32

November 16-30, 1989

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33

December 1-15, 1989

Folder

34

December 16-31, 1989

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35

January 1-15, 1990

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36

January 16-31, 1990

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37

February 1-6, 1990

Folder

38

February 7-15, 1990

Folder

39

February 16-28, 1990

Box 749

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1

March 1-13, 1990

Folder

2

March 13-15, 1990

Folder

3

March 16- 25, 1990

Folder

4

March 26-31, 1990

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5

April 1-15, 1990

Folder

6

April 16-30, 1990

Folder

7

May 1-5, 1990

Folder

8

May 6-10, 1990

Folder

9

May 11-15, 1990

Folder

10

May 16-25, 1990

Folder

11

May 26-31, 1990

Folder

12

June 1-10, 1990

Folder

13

June 11-15, 1990

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14

June 16-25, 1990

Folder

15

June 26-30, 1990

Folder

16

July 1-15, 1990

Folder

17

July 16-25, 1990

Folder

18

July 26-31, 1990

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19

August 1-8, 1990

Folder

20

August 9-20, 1990

Folder

21

August 21-31, 1990

Box 750

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1

September 1-11, 1990

Folder

2

September 12-20, 1990

Folder

3

September 21-30, 1990

Folder

4

October 1-10, 1990

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5

October 11-15, 1990

Folder

6

October 16-24, 1990

Folder

7

October 25-31, 1990

Folder

8

November 1-15, 1990

Folder

9

November 16-30, 1990

Folder

10

December 1-15, 1990

Folder

11

December 16-31, 1990

Folder

12

January 1-15, 1991

Folder

13

January 16-31, 1991

Folder

14

February 1-10, 1991

Folder

15

February 11-20, 1991

Folder

16

February 21-28, 1991

Box 751

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1

March 1-10, 1991

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2

March 11-15, 1991

Folder

3

March 16-31, 1991

Folder

4

April 1-15, 1991

Folder

5

April 16-24, 1991

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6

April 25-30, 1991

Folder

7

May 1-10, 1991

Folder

8

May 11-21, 1991

Folder

9

May 22-31, 1991

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10

June 1-10, 1991

Folder

11

June 11-19, 1991

Folder

12

June 20-30, 1991

Folder

13

July 1-15, 1991

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14

July 16-25, 1991

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15

July 26-31, 1991

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16

August 1-10, 1991

Folder

17

August 11-31, 1991

Subseries 3.Transcripts

Scope and Content Notes:

As Attorney General of the United States, Thornburgh was regularly consulted for his opinion on legal issues and actions of the Department of Justice. He appeared frequently on TV news programs, provided information to the press at Department of Justice press conferences, and appeared before committees of both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Some of the many topics here include, for example: savings and loans, white collar crime, proposed bills and laws, notable cases, Supreme Court cases, the war on drugs, violent crime, and Bush Administration policies. Of these, 81 are available here online. Those excluded are primarily from TV news programs for which we did not have permission. A notable exception are those from the "McNeil/Lehrer Newshour," from whom we kindly were granted permission for online presentation of transcripts.

The transcript files are arranged chronologically and occasionally contain correspondence and notes. The topics of the transcripts are all inclusive and provide excellent insight into the major legal issues during the time that Thornburgh served as Attorney General, 1988-1991. All DOJ press conferences and hearings have been made available. The occasions presented are, just for example: confirmation hearings, DOJ press conferences on a broad array of subjects, question and answer session regarding the United Nations Convention against drug trafficking, press briefings from foreign trips, U.S. Senate and House Judiciary Committee hearings, press conferences with Soviet Minister of Justice Yakovlev, news conferences with various DOJ and FBI persons, remarks and addresses, U.S./Mexico Binational Commission press conference, symposia, and memorial services. The spontaneous content of many of these transcripts indicates the unique and valuable content made available here.

Box 752

Folder

1

Statement by President Reagan announcing the nomination of Richard L. Thornburgh to be Attorney General of the United States, and Thornburgh's remarks July 12, 1988

While serving as Director of the Institute of Politics, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Thornburgh received a telephone call from A. B. Culvahouse. Jr., counsel to President Reagan, indicating that Reagan was interested in nominating Thornburgh to succeed Edwin Meese as Attorney General of the United States. Thornburgh says in his autobiography that he was "hardly expecting Culvahouse's call" because Thornburgh's recommendation to the President had come from former assistant attorney general William Weld, who was in "disfavor" with the Reagan administration for criticizing Meese (
Evidence, p.199). However, Thornburgh did think himself one of the "logical candidates" for his "law enforcement, political and management record, as well as [his] good relations with the president and vice president" (
Evidence, 199).

But the call did come, and after meeting with President Reagan on July 12, 1988, he received the President's formal request to serve as Attorney General. Over the next month Thornburgh found himself in a whirlwind schedule of meetings, hearings, Washington visits, all of which required the perusal of preparatory research binders provided by the Department of Justice, the completion of forms and questionnaires, and attention to the memoranda and correspondence regarding details of his nomination process.

The largest section of material here concerns the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on August 5, 1988, during which Thornburgh was interviewed and questioned regarding his positions on issues and his management of problems while Governor of Pennsylvania. This hearing required extensive research, much of it regarding Department of Justice issues, policies and problems Thornburgh handled during his governorship, as well as background on the members of the committee. In addition to research, there is also correspondence, Thornburgh's annotated notes, mock hearing questions and transcripts of the session (available here online).

The Attorney General nomination and confirmation files are organized into the following five sections: 1)Nomination of Thornburgh as United States Attorney General, July, 1988, including news releases from the White House, statements by President Reagan and Thornburgh, and a published declaration of Thornburgh's nomination in the Congressional Record; 2) Nominee questionnaires and forms, 1988, which include the White House personal data statement, a questionnaire from the Senate Judiciary Committee (with Thornburgh's personal notes and draft responses to questions), financial disclosure forms, and other documents; 3) Research binders prepared for Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on August 5, 1988, which include research on committee members and questions and answers given by previous nominees, and a Thornburgh-annotated and "clean" (un-annotated) copy of a research binder on all Department of Justice components and issues within the DOJ; 4) Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing preparation and transcripts, includes information on Pennsylvania issues while Thornburgh was governor, transcripts of the hearing, and follow-up material, including questions and answers, courtesy calls, personal notes, and news clippings; and 5) Confirmation and swearing-in of Thornburgh as United States Attorney General, August-September, 1988, including a published declaration of Thornburgh's confirmation in the Congressional Record, lists and plans for the swearing-in ceremony on September 12, 1988 and remarks made by President Reagan and Attorney General Thornburgh at the ceremony.

Section: Nomination of Thornburgh as United States Attorney General, July, 1988

Box 754

Folder

1

President Reagan's nomination of Thornburgh as Attorney General: White House news releases and statements by President Reagan and Thornburgh July 12, 1988

Swearing-in ceremony: remarks by Thornburgh and President Reagan and draft of Thornburgh's speech with annotations August 12, 1988

Folder

18

Swearing-in ceremony: questions and answers following ceremony with Attorney General Thornburgh August 12, 1988

Subseries 5.Attorney General Thornburgh's Files

Scope and Content Notes:

These Attorney General files were kept by the staff of the Office of Attorney General and consist of topics that were of particular interest or usefulness to Thornburgh, both in his role as Attorney General (justice-related) and in his personal life (non-justice related). These were kept separately and are similarly separate here. The justice-related files are not to be seen as representing department priorities necessarily, but more files of convenience to the Attorney General. Among those are issue files referred to as "Nuggets," which were files of particular relevancy and interest, and which Thornburgh kept close at hand for ready reference.

What is interesting, despite the more personal nature of these files, is that the notable topics and challenges of Thornburgh's years as Attorney General are well represented here. For example, the Savings and Loan (S and L) fraud scandal is a topic which dominates the "Nuggets" files, as drugs and related issues do with the Department of Justice files. Other prominent issues are crime and civil rights. It is fair to say that these files will have particular interest to researchers.

The Attorney General's non-justice related files are simply issues and events in which he had a more personal interest. Here, you find topics ranging, just for example, from baseball to personal events, to Pennsylvania matters, lists of trips taken by the Attorney General, and files regarding his official Governor portrait hanging in 1991.

The Attorney General's files are arranged as follows: 1) Department of Justice files (justice-related), an alphabetical listing of issues, people, organizations, events and other materials specifically related to Thornburgh's work as Attorney General. Large grouping of files, such as "Cases and investigations," are arranged alphabetically within each category (for example, by name of person or organization); 2) Attorney General's files (non-justice related), an alphabetical listing of issues, people, organizations, events and topics that are not necessarily related to his position at the Department of Justice; 3) Newspaper and magazine articles written about Thornburgh and kept in chronological order; 4) "Nugget" files; and 5) Telephone logs and messages, from the Office of the Attorney General.

Federal prison system: statement by J. Michael Quinlan, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, before the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and Administration of Justice of the House Judiciary Committee July 27, 1989

Violent crime: briefing by Attorney General on crime bill reported out of the House Judiciary Committee and Letter to Judiciary Committee opposing enactment of "Violent Crime Control Act of 1991" (S 618) and supporting S 635 September 12, 1990, May 14, 1991

Quotes by Herbert Brownell, former Attorney General, and from speeches, articles and testimony by others 1987-1991

Section: Telephone Logs and Messages

Box 782

Folder

1-2

Telephone message forms September 8, 1988-June 5, 1991

Folder

3-5

Telephone logs, notes, messages and talking points 1988-1991

Folder

6-7

Department of Justice Daily Record of telephone communications made and received by Attorney General Dick Thornburgh September 19, 1988-August 14, 1991

Subseries 6.Daily Schedules

Scope and Content Notes:

During the years that Dick Thornburgh was Attorney General his schedule was dense and fast-moving as is evident in these files. The schedules cover August 26, 1988 through August 15, 1991, and are chronologically arranged. The material includes Thornburgh's daily schedule while in Washington, as well as day trips made, and events he attended both locally and out of town The schedules include detailed information such as, for example: the persons met with, speech titles, others who accompanied him to events, and participants in the meetings that took place. There are a few items on the schedules that familiarly occurred each day, such as the morning meetings with his close advisors. These schedules allow the researcher to have a clear picture of the challenges each day presented.

Included in this section are some Ginny Thornburgh daily schedules with dates ranging from January 12,1990 through May 21, 1991.

It should be noted that foreign trips files and related schedules are in a separate section by that name.

Box 783

Folder

1-13

Attorney General Thornburgh August, 1988-August, 1990

Box 784

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1-5

Attorney General Thornburgh September, 1990-August, 1991

Folder

6-11

Ginny Thornburgh 1990-1991

Subseries 7.Events

Scope and Content Notes:

The event files of the Attorney General of the United States were maintained by the Attorney General's staff from August 1988 when Dick Thornburgh assumed office until he resigned in 1991 to seek the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Thornburgh's priorities were clear from the start: to launch a "vigorous assault on drug trafficking," to continue to "focus on organized and white-collar crime" and to "step up activity in the civil rights, antitrust and environmental fields" (
Evidence, p.208). The events in these files are extensive and well represent the follow-up actions related to those priorities, and other issues of note. Included, for example, are: white collar crime conferences, symposia, appearances before House and Senate Committees, Supreme Court case arguments, individual meetings, organization events at which he spoke, meetings around the country with U.S. Attorneys, law review banquets, briefings, civil rights meetings, receptions, and gold medal award banquet. They occurred both in and out of Washington, although international trips are in a separate section of the archive.

The files are divided into the following five sections: 1) General Events, alphabetically ordered. Files contain both meetings with people and organizations, but also issues such as "Civil Rights Act" that include extensive background information; 2) International Events, alphabetically ordered. Files are principally events in which international figures visited Thornburgh in Washington D.C. Some files contain background about a related country, Mexico or the Philippines, for example; 3) Congressional Events, alphabetically ordered. These are events specifically relating to Thornburgh's meetings with members of the Congress of the United States. Some of the files are not events, but relate to topics such as: Crime Bills and Civil Rights Act, for example; 4) Press Events, alphabetically ordered. These are events relating to Thornburgh's interactions with the media: television, print, and radio. Here there also are articles written about the Attorney General or about a topic of note; and 5) Out-of-DC trips, alphabetically arranged by state.

Savings and Loan, President Bush and U.S. Attorneys, DOJ, Washington, DC June 22, 1990

Folder

13

Saxbe, William September 7, 1988

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14

Schall, Tony, Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Washington, DC June 13, 1991

Folder

15

Schatz, Linda and Gwen, Washington, DC March 1, 1991

Folder

16

Schedule "C" Reception, DOJ, Washington, DC March 27, 1990

Folder

17

Scheie Odyssey Ball, Philadelphia, PA November 11, 1988

Folder

18

Schlesinger, Dr. Steven, Former Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) under Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and Director of Office of Policy Development (OPD), Washington, DC September 8, 1988, June 5, 1991

As Thornburgh states in his autobiography: "My tenure saw a huge increase in the department's activity in the international arena. The negotiation of extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties and executive agreements were high priorities as we sought more fugitives, evidence and forfeitable assets from abroad. Other meetings, conferences and negotiations focused on organized crime, money laundering, terrorism and narcotics. At various times I pursued these discussions in Greece, England, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Scotland, Sweden, Hungary and Bulgaria" (
Evidence, p. 255). A notable trip, on another subject, was that to the Soviet Union, late in 1989, when Soviet Minister of Justice, Veniamin F. Yakovlev, invited Thornburgh to visit Moscow, in what was the first ever visit by a sitting attorney general of the United States. It was at this time that Thornburgh became active in the effort to promote the rule of law in other nations, an interest that has continued in his subsequent career. Yakovlev and Thornburgh have met several additional times and researchers will be interested in the video, available here online, of one such occasion.

The Attorney General's twelve foreign trips are chronologically ordered. In general, there is a strong pattern within the material of three "stages" of each trip. "Pre-trip material," for example, generally includes memoranda, briefings, background on a country, correspondence, press releases and/or news wires, and news clippings. Not infrequently the background material is extensive. "Trip material" will contain itineraries, information on the trip delegation, and meetings during the trip itself. "Post-trip material" often includes thank you letters and other correspondence, follow-up newspaper articles, and occasionally an Attorney General diary.

Many of the trips involve special TREVI (Terrorism, Radicalism, Extremism, Violence International) meetings. TREVI was the law enforcement counterpart to the European Economic Community (
Evidence, p.229). Its goal was to address mutual problems and cross-border challenges, such as drug trafficking, which is why many of these trips have international drug use and trafficking as a primary focus. Because of the international scope of drug problems, for example, Thornburgh established, in August 1989, an Office of International Affairs within the Department of Justice to coordinate these international efforts. Memoranda of Cuyler Walker who frequently traveled abroad with Thornburgh are also included here.

The specific trips are as follows: Europe trip to London, Bern, Bonn, Vienna, Rome and Athens (TREVI), November 28-December 9, 1988; South America trip to Bolivia, Peru and Columbia, March 5-9, 1989; South America trip to Bolivia, Peru and Columbia, April 6-13, 1989; Europe trip to Paris and Madrid (TREVI), May 8-12, 1989; Trip to the Soviet Union, October 14-20, 1989; Europe trip to Dublin, Luxembourg, London and Paris (TREVI), December 10-15, 1989; Europe trip to Sweden, Scotland, Italy and Dublin (TREVI), June 10-15, 1990; Asia trip to Tokyo and Seoul, August 31-September 7, 1990; Canada trip, October 14-17, 1990; Mexico trip to Monterrey, November 26-27, 1990; Eastern Europe trip to Budapest, Sophia and Rome (TREVI), December 1-7, 1990; and Guatemala trip, January 12-17, 1991.

During the Bush Administration, Attorney General Thornburgh was a member of four sub-cabinet groups established by the President: the Domestic Policy Council (DPC), of which Thornburgh was Chairman, the Economic Policy Council (EPC), the National Security Council (NSC), and the Council on Competitiveness (CC). Files reflecting the Attorney General's participation in three of these groups are here.

The primary function of the Domestic Policy Council was, as President George H.W. Bush said, "to serve the primary channel for advising me on the formulation, coordination, and implementation of domestic and social policy" (
Evidence, p.272). While Thornburgh's interest in the DPC, EPC and the CC related to the types of issues he was familiar with from his years as Governor of Pennsylvania, he soon discovered that "domestic policy was a relatively low priority for this administration," especially in light of the end of the Cold War and the "containment" of Saddam Hussein (
Evidence, p.273). Unfortunately, Thornburgh says, the unwillingness of White House decision makers to take the DPC, EPC, NSC, and CC seriously resulted in these groups having little impact both on the administration and on the nature of domestic policy (
Evidence, p.274), despite the fact that decision memoranda to the president presented meaningful options for actions on a wide variety of issues.

These files are arranged in chronological order and contain a mixture of DPC, EPC and CC files. By far, however, the majority of files relate to the DPC, due mostly to the tendency of overlap between the organizations' primary objectives. Files not labeled specifically as EPC or CC are DPC files.

Although Thornburgh took great pride in being the "point man" for the Bush administration in efforts to pass this landmark civil rights legislation in 1990, much of the work was essentially behind the scenes. Therefore, these files are comparatively few in number, in relation to the significance of the passage of ADA.

The files here include, for example, memoranda, fact sheets, compromise bills, Thornburgh's testimony, and articles by him. In addition, files from the Signing Ceremony, July 26, 1990, and the One Year Anniversary of the Signing, July 26, 1991, are here as well.

Box 829

Folder

1

Draft of Thornburgh's Testimony on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), S. 933 June 22, 1989

Folder

2

Correspondence Regarding Thornburgh's Testimony June-November, 1989

Folder

3

Compromise Bill July-August, 1989

Folder

4

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Fact Sheet October, 1989

Folder

5

Remarks of James S. Brady, Vice Chairman of NOD to National Legislative Seminar of Affiliated Leadership League of and for the Blind Of America, Washington, DC February 26, 1990

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services; 28 CFR, Parts 35 and 36, Final Rule January 26, 1992

Subseries 11.Department of Justice Issues

Scope and Content Notes:

While he was Attorney General, Thornburgh clearly required current information regarding all major topics as well as the Department of Justice itself. The materials represented here include briefings and background material on various meetings, departments, and issues.

These "briefings" are divided into two groups. The first consists of materials prepared specifically for the Attorney General's use and, often, for a specific event, or a specific topic of interest, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1990. Prominent here are materials relating to the annual budget requests of the various departments, offices and components within the Department of Justice, and the all-important annual statements to the Appropriations Committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. This group also has many background and briefing materials relating to conferences Thornburgh attended and/or initiated, such as the "1991 Crime Summit." Many of these materials have been underlined and "red-penned" by Thornburgh attesting to their use and importance. Issues include, for example: asset forfeiture, BCCI, Blood and Crips gang, budgets, civil rights, violent crime, DOJ status reports and congressional briefings, drugs, fraud, Judiciary Committees of House and Senate, national attorneys general meetings, organized crime, strike forces, Supreme Court, tax issues, and U.S. Attorney's Advisory Committee.

The second group of materials contains general information and updates on issues prepared annually for the use of the Attorney General and for the Department of Justice as a whole. These serve as a more general reference to the various issues and activities of the DOJ, including the use and appropriation of funding among all department sectors.

The files are arranged in two sections as follows: 1) Attorney General's briefing materials: materials alphabetically arranged, prepared for Thornburgh, and heavily annotated by the Attorney General. For large groups of material on a single issue, the files are arranged chronologically within; 2) Department of Justice briefing materials on divisions and issues: these files include four years (1988-1991) of briefing material, arranged chronologically, on all major activities and issues in departments and offices of the Department of Justice. Some of this material may have been prepared the incoming Attorney General during or shortly after his nomination process.

Budget: letter from Jack Brooks, chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary to Leon E. Panetta, chairman of the Committee on the Budget regarding Department of Justice Authorization for Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1990 February-May, 1990

"Financial Institution Fraud Report, Overview," prepared by the Office of Special Counsel for Financial Institutions February 27, 1991

Folder

8

Fraud Section, "Briefing on Bank Fraud for the Attorney General," and other memoranda and reports (annotated) Fall-Winter, 1988

Box 837

Folder

1

Fraud Section, "Briefing on Bank Fraud for the Attorney General," and other memoranda and reports (annotated) Fall-Winter, 1988

Folder

2

House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary: briefing materials on all members June, 1987, May, 1988

Folder

3

House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary: Briefing materials for hearing on DOJ Authorization/Oversight May 2, 1989

Folder

4

House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary: questions drafted by Republican staffers for hearing on DOJ Authorization/Oversight May 2, 1989

Folder

5

House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary: Attorney General Thornburgh's statement concerning Department of Justice (DOJ) Appropriation Authorization (annotated) May 2, 1989

Folder

6

House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary: Attorney General Thornburgh's statement and follow-up articles, memoranda and notes (annotated) May 16, 1990

Folder

7-8

House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary: Authorization hearing (annotated), did not occur July 18, 1991

Box 838

Folder

1

House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary: Authorization hearing (annotated), did not occur July 18, 1991

Folder

2-3

House of Representatives, Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Controls June 21, 1989

Folder

4

House of Representatives, Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Controls: briefing material July 25, 1991

Folder

5

House of Representatives, and Senate subcommittees on Appropriations: probable questions (annotated) February, 1989

Folder

6

House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Appropriations: briefing material and testimony (annotated) March 8, 1990

Folder

7

International affairs, Policy Options paper: "Options for Establishing an Office of International Affairs," prepared by Justice Management Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) (annotated) December, 1989

Section: Department of Justice Briefing Materials on Divisions and Issues

Folder

8

Responses to possible questions regarding issues and departments 1988

Box 842

Folder

1

Responses to possible questions regarding issues and departments 1988

Folder

2

Antitrust briefing for Attorney General designate Thornburgh by Deputy Attorney General Christensen and Associate Attorney General Keating July, 1988

Folder

3-10

Briefing on departments and issues 1989-1991

Subseries 12.Weekly Reports

Scope and Content Notes:

Governor Thornburgh began requesting weekly reports from members of his cabinet during his eight-year term as governor of Pennsylvania. He continued this practice during his three years as Attorney General. These weekly reports contain information from within each division and office of the Department of Justice and will provide researchers with an excellent overview of DOJ during Thornburgh's years. It should be noted that in 1990 Attorney General Thornburgh was responsible for changing the name of Land and Natural Resources to the Environment and Natural Resources Division to better reflect its mission.

In 1988, these reports were bi-weekly. The 1989-1991 reports were weekly. There are occasional red pen annotations. The classified department reports are excluded, of course, which include DEA and the FBI. During 1991, the DEA did not supply any reports to the Attorney General because all the reports were classified and kept separately.

These reports originally were kept in several sets, for administrative convenience: August 1988-September 1989, October1989-March 1990, April 1990-December 1990 and January-August 1991. However the basic organization now is alphabetical by name of the office, division or commission, and chronological within each.

United States Attorneys, Executive Office of (EOUSA) August, 1988-August, 1991

Box 850

Folder

1-4

United States Attorneys, Executive Office of (EOUSA) January-August, 1991

Folder

5-8

United States Marshals Service August, 1988-August, 1991

Folder

9-11

United States Parole Commission October, 1989-August, 1991

Folder

12-15

United States Trustees, Executive Office of August, 1988-January, 1991

Subseries 13.Correspondence

Scope and Content Notes:

Correspondence is a major component of the responsibilities of any public official. From congratulations to thank you notes, requests, greetings, and personal letters, the Attorney General's correspondence files, not surprisingly, are extensive.

The Correspondence files are arranged in the following eight sections: 1) Congratulatory letters to Thornburgh upon appointment as Attorney General, July-August 1988. These are arranged alphabetically by the sender's last name; 2) Congratulatory letters to Thornburgh upon appointment as Attorney General including related requests, July-August 1988. These are arranged alphabetically by request or letter "type," including meeting requests and requests to keep fighting against issues such as drugs and pornography, among others; 3) Correspondence from Thornburgh regarding DOJ administrative issues. These include commendation letters for outstanding work, resignation letters, nomination letters, and others. They are arranged alphabetically by administrative issue; 4) Attorney General personal, or "signature," correspondence, business-related. Includes letters and notes to and from Thornburgh. They are arranged chronologically, 1988-1991; 5) Attorney General personal, or "signature," correspondence, truly "personal," and not business related. Includes letters and notes to and from Thornburgh. These are arranged chronologically, 1988-1991; 6) Reading file, alphabetically by sender's last name. A general alphabetical listing of correspondence to and from Thornburgh; 7) Reading file, chronological, August 1988-August 1991. A general chronological arrangement of correspondence to and from Thornburgh; 8) Courtesy and thank you letters from Thornburgh, for gifts and correspondence, post-trip thank yous, Attorney General greetings and retirement "tributes," etc.

While Thornburgh served as Attorney General it was the practice of the Department of Justice to clip and distribute daily articles about the department and actions of the Attorney General. These were referred to as AMs and PMs, and were regularly provided twice daily. In these clippings researchers will find articles on virtually every topic of concern or relevance to the department during Thornburgh's tenure in office.

There are two sections of AMs and PMs, the first being "News Summaries" that include a one-sentence summarization of each article, including the name of the newspaper or publication source. The second section consists of the newspaper clippings themselves. These are in chronological order, August 1, 1988-August 16, 1991, generally excluding holidays and weekends. It should be noted that the "news summaries" have been digitized and are available here online to serve as an invaluable index. This enables researchers to search on topics of interest, when the relevant dates may not have been known, thus providing far greater access to this remarkable resource.

The next section here is "Burrelles." These again are bound news clippings, including TV transcripts, which were provided from outside the Department of Justice by this media organization. These clippings are filed in chronological order, though there are some overlapping dates.

Lastly there is a small section of Pennsylvania newspaper clippings. As former Pennsylvania Governor, Thornburgh's interest in his state persisted and clippings were accumulated by him, dating here 1989-1990.

Section: Summaries: AM/PM News

Box 869

Folder

1

August-September, 1988

Folder

2

October-November,1988

Folder

3

December, 1988-January, 1989

Folder

4

February-March, 1989

Folder

5

April-May, 1989

Folder

6

June-July, 1989

Folder

7

August-September, 1989

Folder

8

October-November, 1989

Folder

9

December, 1989-January, 1990

Folder

10

February-March, 1990

Box 870

Folder

1

April-May, 1990

Folder

2

June-July, 1990

Folder

3

August-September, 1990

Folder

4

October-November, 1990

Folder

5

December, 1990-January,1991

Folder

6

February-March, 1991

Folder

7

April-May,1991

Folder

8

June-July, 1991

Folder

9

August 1-16, 1991

Section: Daily Clippings: AM/PM News

Box 871

Folder

1-12

July 12-August 12, 1988

Box 872

Folder

1-12

August 15-September 23, 1988

Box 873

Folder

1-12

September 26-November 4, 1988

Box 874

Folder

1-10

November 7-December 9, 1988

Box 875

Folder

1-9

December 12, 1988-January 10, 1989

Box 876

Folder

1-7

January 11-February 3, 1989

Box 877

Folder

1-10

February 6-March 10, 1989

Box 878

Folder

1-9

March 13-April 7, 1989

Box 879

Folder

1-8

April 10-May 5, 1989

Box 880

Folder

1-8

May 8-June 15, 1989

Box 881

Folder

1-8

June 16-July 14, 1989

Box 882

Folder

1-7

July 17-August 10, 1989

Box 883

Folder

1-8

August 11-September 11, 1989

Box 884

Folder

1-8

September 12-October 11, 1989

Box 885

Folder

1-8

October 12-November 15, 1989

Box 886

Folder

1-8

November 16-December 20,1989

Box 887

Folder

1-8

December 21, 1989-January 24, 1990

Box 888

Folder

1-7

January 25-February 26, 1990

Box 889

Folder

1-8

February 27-March 30, 1990

Box 890

Folder

1-8

April 2-May 4, 1990

Box 891

Folder

1-8

May 7-June 7, 1990

Box 892

Folder

1-7

June 8-July 2,1990

Box 893

Folder

1-7

July 3-27, 1990

Box 894

Folder

1-8

July 30-September 11, 1990

Box 895

Folder

1-7

September 12-October 18, 1990

Box 896

Folder

1-8

October 19-November 26, 1990

Box 897

Folder

1-8

November 27, 1990-January 11, 1991

Box 898

Folder

1-8

January 14-March 5, 1991

Box 899

Folder

1-8

March 6-April 16,1991

Box 900

Folder

1-8

April 17-May 30, 1991

Box 901

Folder

1-10

May 31-July 11, 1991

Box 902

Folder

1-9

July 12-August 16, 1991

Section: Burelles

Box 903

Folder

1-8

October, 1988-March 29, 1989

Box 904

Folder

1-9

March 29-August 16, 1989

Box 905

Folder

1-10

August 18, 1989-January 6, 1990

Box 906

Folder

1-12

January 7-July 13, 1990

Box 907

Folder

1-10

July 12-November, 1990

Section: Pennsylvania Clippings

Folder

11

September, 1989-March, 1990

Subseries 15.Reports

Scope and Content Notes:

Reports issued by various DOJ components have been grouped in this section for easy reference. Many of them have been digitized and are available here online. These cover a broad arrange of subjects and are excellence sources of information.

The AG reports are filed in alphabetical order according to the issuing department or office. Within each department, the reports are filed chronologically. The date range is 1989-1991. Some of the offices are for example: Office of Attorney General, FBI, Department of Justice, DEA, and Civil Division. Each office or department produced several publications and/or periodicals, a number of which are among the items available here online. When searching these reports, it will be useful to be familiar with commonly used department abbreviations, or refer to our collections list of abbreviations.

Section: Department of Justice (DOJ)

Box 908

Folder

1

"Coordination between DEA and the FBI: A Report to the Chairman, Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate" March, 1990

NIJ Reports: a Bimonthly Journal of the National Institute of Justice No. 217 November- December, 1989

Folder

44

NIJ: Research in Action: "The Courts: Current Federal Research" 1989

Folder

45

"National Institute of Justice Research Plan: 1991" May, 1991

Box 911

Folder

1

"Searching for Answers: Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime," Report to the President, the Attorney General, and the Congress by the National Institute of Justice July, 1990

Folder

2

"Searching for Answers: Annual Evaluation Report on Drugs and Crime," A Report to the President, the Attorney General, and the Congress by the National Institute of Justice April, 1991

Folder

3

"DNA Profiling: For Positive Identification," A Technology Assessment Program Bulletin from the National Institute of Justice September, 1990

Section: Legal Counsel, Office of

Folder

4

"Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel: Consisting of Selected Memorandum Opinions Advising the President of the United States, The Attorney General and Other Executive Officers of the Federal Government in Relation to Their Official Duties," Vol. 12 1988

Folder

5

"Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel: Consisting of Selected Memorandum Opinions Advising the President of the United States, The Attorney General and Other Executive Officers of the Federal Government in Relation to Their Official Duties," Vol. 13 1989

Folder

6

"Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel: Consisting of Selected Memorandum Opinions Advising the President of the United States, The Attorney General and Other Executive Officers of the Federal Government in Relation to Their Official Duties," Vol. 14 1990

Folder

7

"Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel: Consisting of Selected Memorandum Opinions Advising the President of the United States, The Attorney General and Other Executive Officers of the Federal Government in Relation to Their Official Duties," Vol. 15 1991